China's used-car market had a problem until recently: the Chinese motor industry was simply too young to have enough old cars.

Now, in the midst of the worst global motor manufacturing crisis for decades, China's used-car business is coming of age. Traders feel optimistic. They say old vehicles are selling better than new ones.

Used-car traders expect their market to grow only slowly this year, after two to three years of double-digit increases. But some growth is still better than no growth or decline, which is what most industry analysts expect from the Chinese new-car market – the world's second largest.

 “This is a better business than having a new-car dealership,” says Sheng Feng, assistant marketing manager of Shanghai Used Car Trade Market, a large three-storey car park where 70 dealers gather daily.

 “The global financial crisis hasn't reached us yet,” says Zou Jianqun, an 11-year veteran of the market and a member of the first generation of Shanghai's used-car dealers.

Giving a tug to his leather cap and settling further into the lambswool lining of his coat on a chilly day in the vast port city, he says the price gap between new and used cars has been narrowing and recent tax cuts for small-engine vehicles will erode it further. But it is still easier to make money on used cars than new ones – provided they are black or grey. Mr Zou and other traders agree that light-coloured cars are not good sellers.

The market contains a sea of sober sedans: dark Volkswagens and Toyotas and the odd Chinese-made vehicle. Mr Sheng points out a sporty red Ford compact, with a Mickey Mouse steering wheel and Hello Kitty seat covers, standing out starkly.

Many of the vehicles' interiors display flashy dashboard decorations, dangling rear-view mirror charms, or ornamental tissue boxes. But outside, most Chinese buyers still like their cars boxy and dark.

On the whole, says Mr Sheng, they also like new cars – if they can afford them. China may have a worldwide reputation for thrift, but Chinese consumers prefer their cars and houses new.

Sun Chao, manager of VIP Cars, an upmarket second-hand dealership across the street from the three-storey market, says this is his biggest problem: “Second-hand has a mild to negative connotation – it's been ‘used',” he says, wrinkling his nose.

Consumers in other markets may trade down during a slowdown; not in China, where cars remain a status symbol more than a means of transport. “Cars are something people can live without. Even a second-hand car is still a big chunk of money,” says Mr Sheng.

Beijing has been doing its bit to boost business. The government recently simplified cumbersome ownership transfer procedures. Buyers can now complete a purchase within a day – down from the previous three.

According to 51Auto, an online consultancy, used-car sales showed annual growth of 9 per cent in October, 12 per cent in November and 8 per cent in December – although the figures mask big regional variations. Shanghai's sales fell 7 per cent in November and December.

In the medium term, most industry analysts expect the Chinese used-car market to grow more rapidly than the new-car market. In the US, used-car sales are more than double new sales. In China, the ratio is reversed. 51Auto says 2.6m used cars were sold last year, less than half the new-model figure, although that could significantly understate actual sales, since secondary sales are loosely monitored.

Joseph Liu, head of sales and marketing for GM Asia Pacific, says the used-car market will play “a very important role” for GM and other manufacturers in the next few years. It will help them to maintain customer loyalty and ensure that vehicle owners can easily offload their old cars – so that they can buy new ones.

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直到不久前，中国二手车市场还存在一个问题：中国汽车业过于年轻，因而没有充足的二手车。

而如今，在全球汽车制造业陷入数十年来最严重的危机之际，中国二手车市场开始成熟起来。经销商们感到乐观。他们表示，目前旧车销售好于新车。

二手车经销商预计，在经历了两三年的两位数增长之后，今年二手车市场仅会缓慢增长。但小幅增长总比没有增长或者下降要好——多数行业分析师预计，中国新车市场今年将不会有增长。中国是全球第二大新车市场。

上海二手车交易市场(Shanghai Used Car Trade Market)助理市场经理盛峰（音译）表示：“生意好过新车代理。”该市场拥有一座巨大的三层停车场，每天聚集着70名经销商。

拥有11年从业经验的邹建群（音译）是上海首批二手车经销商之一，他表示：“全球金融危机尚未波及到我们。”

在上海这个港口大都市，这是寒冷的一天，邹建群拽了拽皮帽，朝外套的羔羊毛衬里缩了缩，说道，新旧车之间的价差在不断缩小，近期小排量汽车购置税下调将进一步拉近二者的差距。但销售二手车比销售新车更容易赚钱——但得是黑色或灰色的车。邹建群与其他经销商一致认为，浅色车不好卖。

该二手车交易市场充斥着大量冷色调轿车：深色大众(Volkswagens)和丰田(Toyotas)，以及奇特的中国产汽车。盛峰指着一辆花哨的红色福特(Ford)小型车——方向盘套是米老鼠的，座套是Hello Kitty的，显得非常扎眼。

许多汽车内部的仪表板布置得花里胡哨，后视镜上挂着摆来摆去的护身符，或者摆着装饰性的纸巾盒。但从外观上来说，多数中国购车者喜欢四四方方造型的深色车。

盛峰表示，总的来看，中国人还是喜欢新车——如果买得起的话。中国人的节俭或许享誉全球，但中国消费者更偏好新车和新房。

对街的高档二手车经销店VIP Cars经理孙超（音译）表示，他最大的难题是：“二手车带有中性偏负面的色彩——它是‘用过的'。”他皱着鼻子说道。

在其它地方，消费者或许会在经济低迷期将高价物品换成低价品；但中国的情况不同，汽车在那里作为身份象征的成分仍大于作为一种交通工具。盛峰表示：“汽车并非生活必需品。就是一辆二手车也要花很多钱。”

北京方面一直在大力推动二手车市场。政府最近简化了原本繁琐的车主变更手续。购车者如今一天之内就可完成购车手续——而以前需要三天。

汽车网站51Auto的数据显示，去年10月份，二手车销售年增长率为9%，11月份和12月份增长率分别为12%和8%。但这些数字掩盖了地区间的巨大差异，去年11和12月份，上海的销量就下降了7%。

从中期来看，多数行业分析师预计，中国二手车市场增速要快于新车市场。在美国，二手车销量是新车销量的两倍以上。而在中国，这一比率恰好相反。51Auto表示，去年二手车销量为260万辆，不及新车销量一半，但由于对二手车交易的监管比较宽松，这一数字可能大大低估了实际销量。

通用汽车亚太销售和营销主管刘曰海(Joseph Liu)表示，对于通用及其它制造商，二手车市场在未来数年将起到“非常重要的作用”。它将帮助他们维护消费者忠诚度，并确保汽车车主可以轻松将旧车脱手——以便购买新车。